The problem of metal processing and welding stabilization aimed at reducing rejects and saving metal has become extremely important. The quality of workpiece processing and welding largely depends on the accurate and durable adjustment of technological equipment and machine-tool attachments used in the production process.
Such requirements are particularly stringent in case of magnetic-discharge welding where only one discharge of the capacitor bank is required for welding and repeated discharges are of no use and the workpiece is rejected. Many researchers and product engineers are engaged in trying to solve the problem of alignment of workpieces affecting the quality of metal processing and welding.
Known in the art is a device for alignment of cylindrical workpieces (A. E. Slukhotsky, "Induktory", 1965, p. 24) which comprises aligning disks made of asbestos cement and installed on the butt face ends of the induction heater.
These disks are provided with openings through which pipes are supplied to the hardening zone.
But this device for alignment of workpieces is deficient in that the depth to which the pipe is introduced into the induction heater zone cannot be regulated. In addition, the asbestos cement soils the outer surface of workpieces to be welded together in the process of the magnetic-discharge welding.
Besides, this device for alignment of pipes cannot provide reliable insulation of the workpieces from the work-coils of the induction heater.